Importância da ressonância magnética no diagnóstico e controle da esclerose múltipla : um estudo com pacientes da Associação Goiana de Esclerose Múltipla

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by manifest itself through of episodes which evolve randomized and because of late diagnosis. The nonspecific nature of the symptoms is the main responsible for the disease make diagnosis difficult. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis and control of multiple sclerosis, as well as clinical and socioeconomic data of patients from Associação Goiana de Esclerose Múltipla. In total, 16 patients were interviewed in the association. From the results obtained, there was a predominance of females and caucasians. The majority of associated were aged over 40 years. In general, the socioeconomic conditions of the patients interviewed are good. Symptoms of numbness, imbalance / dizziness and fatigue predominated as the initial symptoms. With the appearance of the first clinical signs, 37.5% of the patients seeked a neurologist immediately. At first visit, 62.5 % of patients had adequate clinical suspicion. This same percentage was observed among patients who received no specific treatment before starting treatment for multiple sclerosis. All interviewed patients (100 %) underwent magnetic resonance imaging to complement the clinical suspicion of the disease. Four (4) patients (25 %) said they had changed treatment because of a resonance. The financial difficulties of a relevant portion of patients (37.5%) make it difficult to perform this test of form regular basis. Most of the interviewed patients (43.75%) performs resonance by control the each year.